Tell Me How
by DecemberWildfire
Summary: It's been nearly a year since Nuzleaf gave his life to be a servant, though most of the villagers are still being distant. A certain Hero returns home and struggles to get past surface level with him. (PSMD spoilers)
1. Homecoming

A/N: **Even though I'm using the same Pokemon for Hero and Partner, this story is **not** connected to my previous ones.

I wasn't planning on writing any more fanfics, but I seriously cannot get over my love for the Leaf Dad ;.; _send help._

Don't read if you haven't played Super Mystery Dungeon and plan to.

* * *

 _Gn- oww. Why is my head throbbing? What happened last night?_

The tiny Chikorita slowly picked herself up and rubbed her eyes. Her blue crocodile friend wasn't in the bed next to her. A melted ice pack was at her bedside.

"...What in the world?" she muttered to herself.

It seemed quiet. Normally the other members were awake and making noise around this time.

She started walking out of the room, when she nearly crashed into her partner.

"Oh! Harley, you're awake!"

"Gah! Yeah, hi Todd. Sorry, I think I just hit my head again… ow."

"Ehehehe… sorry about that. I've got another ice pack if you want it?"

The cheery Totodile started holding it up to his friend's head.

"No, that's OK. What happened, anyways? I just remember… eating and then blacking out?"

"Erm… that's a little bit of a story…"

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 _The night before..._

"Hello?" Todd called out as they entered the building. "Anyone home?"

"In here!" came a soft reply from the dining room.

"Shhh! It's supposed to be a surprise!" came another muffled voice.

"I'm sorry! I'm just so hungry!"

"Just be patient!"

"Would you guys be quiet?! They're gonna hear us!"

Seconds later the two heroes entered the room, catching their bickering friends off guard. As soon as they saw them, they turned back and let out a big "SURPRISE!"

The whole Expedition Society stood behind the table, where a large cake was sitting.

"What's all this?" Harley asked.

"It's your one-year anniversary since you guys joined the Expedition Society!" Jirachi replied cheerfully.

"I'm afraid that's actually incorrect," Ampharos said. "The one year date was exactly two weeks ago, but you two were traveling at that time, so…" *pose*, "here it is! Your belated one-year celebration!"

"Plus, Swirlix just _really_ wanted to make a cake and eat it," Buizel added.

"Hehe… can't deny that! I was about to eat the whole thing just now before you got here!"

"Aw, shucks, you guys…" Todd got all smiley. "You didn't have to go through all the trouble…"

"Nonsense." Ampharos came around the table to stand in front of them. "We would not be standing here now were it not for you two. Indeed. Baking you a large, delicious cake was the least we could do."

"Thanks guys!"

"Well, shall we dig in?"

"YESSSSS!" Swirlix exclaimed.

As the gang stuffed their faces, the heroes started filling the society in on their latest adventures. Todd was telling the story of their victory over Groudon, when…

"So, after we did our alliance, I pulled back," he stepped away from the table to demonstrate, "and Harley uses razor leaf from the other side, and then, BAM! Blastoise jumps in from behind!"

Getting a bit too carried away in his demonstration, the hyper crocodile ran back up and accidentally slammed his partner's head into the table, knocking her out.

"Ahh! I'm sorry Harley! I just meant to hit the table… ohhh, what have I done?!"

"Oh dear…" Ampharos sighed. "We'd best get her into bed and ice that bump on her head. Dedenne and Buizel, would you be so kind?"

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"...You know something, Todd? Sometimes I wonder how I'm still alive after spending all this time with you…"

Harley was rubbing her head. The throbbing was slowly coming to an end.

"Aw, come on. I'm not THAT bad. Remember that time I saved you from that Muk that had you trapped?"

"That was Marshtomp who saved me," she said, smiling and shaking her head. "You were trying to be a distraction, but all he had to do was blast Muk with mud shot."

"Ehh… you got me there. But I had an oran berry ready for you, right?" he started laughing and sweating nervously. "But hey, in all seriousness, I'm sorry. I'll try not to do so many demonstrations when I tell stories…"

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Come on. Let's get breakfast."

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"Good morning, you two," Ampharos greeted. "My, my, my. That was quite the strike you took to the head last night, hmm?"

"I'll be fine."

The two sat down at the table and started munching away at berries.

"I certainly believe it. I imagine you experience far more rigorous afflictions on your journeys, but you never let them stop you. Very admirable, I must say."

"She's the toughest girl I know!" Todd said, muffled through the berries in his mouth.

"So what are you two up to today? Were you planning to stay long?"

"We're actually going to Serene Village today. Not sure how long we'll stay there, but I at least wanted to see my Pops. I'm stoked about it!"

"Ah, I see."

Ampharos tilted his head at the less jazzed of the two. "My, my, Harley. You don't seem to share in this excitement. Is something wrong?"

She lifted her head and tried to perk up, though it was obvious she was faking it. "Nothing's wrong! It's fine, it's just… I don't have someone really close to me who I'd be excited to go visit, like Todd does. But that doesn't mean I'm _against_ going or anything…"

"Well, what about that Nuzleaf fellow? I mean, despite the… unsavory things he did in the past, it was evident that he cared for you quite a lot in the end. Don't you stay with him when you visit?"

"Yeah, I do… and he's always really nice and never fails to give me a warm welcome home, but… I don't know, it just feels shallow most of the time. He doesn't really talk to me, other than a little bit of small talk here and there. We never actually got to know each other, and it seems like he doesn't want to."

"He most likely still feels rotten for what he did," Ampharos said. "Just give him time. Surely he'll come around. Indeed, I'm certain of it."

"I agree with the chief," Todd said, finishing up his last berry. "And on that note, we should head out. I don't want to waste too much daylight."

"All right, you two. Have a nice trip, and whatever you do…"

*Pose*

"Do it with style!"

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*Pant* "H-here, ya go, good sir," *pant*

Nuzleaf set down two gigantic baskets of oran berries in front of Carrracosta.

"These here are all your harvested crops for today. Hopin' they'll all suffice 'til the next batch is ready."

"Thank you kindly, Nuzleaf. This is all very much appreciated. And thanks to you, I was able to spend the day _finally_ repairing this bookshelf."

Nuzleaf snickered a little, looking at the shelf and catching his breath. "That little one of yours is quite the ball of energy, ain't he?"

"Indeed. I just wish he could refrain from breaking things with that energy…"

"Eh, sometimes ya just gotta let kids be kids. I reckon he'll learn to control himself better soon enough."

Carracosta went over to the counter to pull out a wad of cash and handed it to Nuzleaf.

"For your labors."

Nuzleaf was caught off guard.

"O-oh, no, I can't accept that… I'm perfectly fine with jus' helpin' out…"

"Nuzleaf, I don't want to hear it. Take the money. You've earned it."

"I… don't deserve it. I owe my services to y'all for all that I-"

Carracosta put a hand on his exhausted neighbor's shoulder. "You've been working for me for almost a year now. You never owed us anything in the first place, but out of the kindness of your own heart, you've been serving us with the most selflessness that I've ever seen. You deserve a reward. So take the money, or I will have to send you on a long vacation away from my fields."

Hesitantly, he took the Poke from the large turtle's hand. His eyes were starting to water a little, but he managed to hold it back. _Such undeserved kindness from this man…_

"Thanks a heap, I reckon…"

Just then, a tiny Budew peaked in the doorway.

"Um… hi. Um, Mr. Nuzleaf, sir… sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you were gonna pick up the flowers and berries from Mama's gardens today? If not, then I can do it! It's no problem at all!"

The child was clearly eager to help her mother out, like always, though there's no way she could manage such a task herself.

Nuzleaf knelt down to her level and smiled. "How 'bout we go an' get it done together? You can be my helper. Sound like a plan?"

She smiled back excitedly. "I get to help? Yay!"

As the two left his house, Carracosta sat on his front steps for a bit and enjoyed the perfect weather. He wasn't really one to show emotion too often (other than anger, whenever he deemed necessary), but he was in a good mood. His child would be coming home for a visit in a couple of days.

After Nuzleaf and Budew were out of sight, Lombre approached the large turtle.

"Nice day isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. What brings you over here?"

Lombre glanced behind Carracosta and saw the large baskets of berries in the house.

"...Seems like that guy's been pretty helpful to you, eh?"

"He has been phenomenal. I appreciate every ounce of help he's given me."

"Well, that's great. That's _real_ great."

Carracosta picked up on the small hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Is there a problem?"

Lombre sighed.

"Come on, Carracosta… you're a smart guy, and everyone knows it. So why…"

"Why what?"

"... _Why_ are you so trusting of that guy?"

The turtle glared at him.

"...You can't be serious…"

"It's not a crazy question. You know what he did before. And yeah, we forgive him, but _trust_ is a completely different issue. I think he could still be dangerous. It's possible, anyways. And it's not just me. Everyone in the village feels this way. Everyone except for you and Roselia. I didn't want to have to bring this all up, but it's been _so_ long now and I'm worried..."

"Oh, so we're being judgmental now, are we?"

"I'm just concerned about you is all. That's not to say he'll do anything bad, but… you never know. We all had to learn that the hard way last time."

"All right. So let me get this straight… either the lot of you know something that I don't, or you are completely ignorant of the situation Nuzleaf was in."

"I know the situation. We all know he was being controlled, but… have you ever thought about _why_ that was? I mean, Dark Matter never took control of any of _us_. In fact, it only had like five minions, from what I've heard. Nuzleaf was one of them. Couldn't that mean that he wasn't the best of characters in the first place? Have you ever wondered about that?"

"I don't need to wonder about the past. I know him _now_. And if that question is tormenting you so much, perhaps you should actually try and talk with him sometime and ask him yourself?"

Lombre was silent for a moment as he started sweating nervously.

"...Oh, hey, look at the time… well, I should get back to the square. Great seeing you again…"

As he darted off, Carracosta stood up and sighed heavily in disgust before going inside.

 _The nerve of some people…_

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"Hurry up, Harley! We're almost there!"

"Hold your Ponyta! I'm coming…"

The two entered the village's gates, expecting to find their friends hanging around the area. But it was surprisingly empty, even for a school day.

"...Where is everyone?"

They saw Kangaskhan cross over the bridge, looking lost or like she was searching for someone. It was a little concerning.

The two approached her from behind.

"Um… Ms. Kangaskhan? Is everything OK?"

She spun around and smiled real big, giving both of them a hug.

"Oh! There you two are! Welcome back! Quick, come with me!"

She grabbed Todd by the hand and Harley quickly followed.

"H-hey, wait! Where are we going?"

They were brought into the square, and what appeared to be the whole village started applauding.

"Hehe… what's going on here?" Harley asked, suddenly feeling shy.

"All right everyone, now that they're here, it's time for the big announcement!" Kangaskhan spoke into a megaphone. "Next week marks one year since our world was saved by these two courageous kids here. And so to commemorate, I'm putting together a little festival that will take place here in the square. Nothing huge, but just a little something to celebrate, and to remind these two how much we appreciate them. Does that sound good to everyone?"

The crowd of villagers cheered.

"Wonderful! I'll get to work, then! Now, can I get a show of hands for how many folks would like to volunteer for the event?"

Several hands went up. Kangaskhan wrote down their names and gave the details for the time and place of their meeting.

"Thank you everyone! If anyone else wants to help out, I'll have a signup sheet at the cafe. See you all there!"

The crowd dispersed. Todd had already found his Pops and the two went back to their house. Harley wandered around the square and eventually found Nuzleaf standing on the sidelines, almost as if he had been hiding during the town meeting.

She slowly walked up to him.

"...Hi, Nuzleaf…"

"Hiya, Harley. Welcome home!"

"Thanks. It's good to be back. That was a nice little… surprise to come back to," she laughed nervously.

"I was a bit surprised myself. But I know how much ol' Kangaskhan cares about you kids." He picked up his bag. "I reckon we should head home. Are ya hungry?"

"I'm actually OK… Todd snuck a bunch of apples into our bag before we left the Expedition Society, so we were covered."

"Well alrighty then."

The two made their way back to Nuzleaf's house and Harley got situated in her room. She noticed the crates were gone.

"So… I see you did some spring cleaning in here?" she called out to him in the kitchen.

"I reckon you mean those ol' crates? Nah, I just decided to finally unpack 'em. Just some old books, mostly. Somethin' to keep me occupied when I'm not workin'."

"Do you… get lonely here?"

"Eh… maybe a little, but it ain't that bad. I'm workin' most of the time anyhow."

"Do you ever see any friends when you're not working, though?"

He was now officially uncomfortable with where this conversation was going.

"No need, kiddo. I ain't much of a people person. Alone time gives me a chance to recharge."

"Well, what about the Beheeyems? You see them around, right?"

"Not so much these days, actually. They formed a rescue team some time ago and they're always out an' about, saving lives. It's their way of makin' up for their wrongdoings, and those fellas are mighty high in demand, I tell ya."

"I see… well, that's really cool for them."

"Hey," he said suddenly, making his way to the door. "I gotta go take care of some errands, before it gets too late. I'll see ya later."

And he darted out the door.

"W-wait…" she muttered.

 _You were starting to open up…_


	2. Animosity

It had been a year. A year since he had gone around petrifying Pokemon all over the world, deceiving folks left and right and living only for selfish gain. But he still remembered it so well, despite how badly he wanted to erase it all from his mind.

Now that the whole ordeal was being brought up again, with the town planning some big party to celebrate the world being saved, it was as if a new weight was dropped on him and he had to carry it around along with all the other weight he already had.

On this particular day, whenever he walked around the village, he would see someone and would have flashbacks to the day when… he came with Yveltal and petrified them all. Even though he was being controlled by another at the time, it was hard not to feel responsible when he was the one physically doing those things. And if he had made one single decision differently… perhaps none of that would've happened…

~.~.~

 _"_ _Why in the world would I wanna do that? Turnin' folks into stone and causin' a bunch of mayhem? That's madness! I ain't a criminal!"_

 _"_ _You'll gain power and become unstoppable. Aren't you tired of being betrayed? We've been there, and we learned the hard way that no one ever cares about anyone but themselves."_

 _"_ _I don't believe that at all. It was just a bad s-"_

 _"_ _You have nothing left, Nuzleaf. NOTHING. The process has already begun. So will you wise up and join us, or will you spend the rest of your life alone?"_

 _He had nowhere else to go. No one to turn to. It was true that strange things were happening within him that he couldn't explain. Reluctantly, he nodded and followed…_

~.~.~

He pounded on his head, trying to shake off the bitter memories. He hated thinking about this stuff. _WHY was it weighing down so hard on him?_

 _If only I said no…_

 _It's all my fault… it's ALL my darn fault!_

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"Here are your rewards! Thank you!"

Kangaskhan handed some items to the three Beheeyems.

"Thank you, ma'am."

They left the cafe and caught sight of their friend over by Kecleon's. They approached the leaf man and pulled him aside.

"Oh. Hey, fellas. Back from missions?"

"Yeah… something like that. Do you have a minute? We want to talk to you about something…"

"Somethin' bad?"

"No, not necessarily. It's just… here," the first one took him by the arm and led him into the school zone, since everyone there had gone home by that point. The others followed.

"Y'all are worryin' me…" Nuzleaf said nervously.

They all went and sat by the small pond. There was a long period of silence. The Beheeyems were nervously exchanging looks with each other.

"Nuzleaf…" one of them began, "we just wanted to tell you that… we're thinking about moving."

"...Y'all are fixin' to leave? Where to?"

"Most of our rescue calls have been from Pokemon Square on the Air Continent. And since it's a hassle to constantly be going back and forth, we figured it would be best to..."

"To relocate," the third one jumped in.

"But, nothing's for sure yet," the first one continued. "We wanted to see how you felt about it?"

Nuzleaf looked confused. "Well… fellas, I think that's great. Do whatcha gotta do. Why would ya need my permission?"

"We just… didn't want to leave you if that would make you feel… well... obviously it's no secret that the four of us aren't exactly everyone's favorites in this village. All of them except for maybe three or four have trust issues with us, and who could blame them? But at least we've been the outcasts _together_. We'd hate to leave you alone with that…"

"..."

He sighed, just staring at his reflection for a moment.

"It's… really not that big a deal. Them villagers bein' standoffish, it doesn't bother me much. I ain't gonna hold y'all back from doing your good work."

"Nuzleaf, we know you're lying. It _does_ bother you…"

When he looked back up, he caught sight of an Azumarill in the distance, staring him down menacingly. A new villager, perhaps? He looked away and tried to ignore her glares.

"It's unfortunate, sure, but it don't bother me _much_ ," he finally responded. "Look, y'all go on and relocate. I'll be sure to visit ya every chance I get!" He forced a smile.

"OK… if you really mean that, then we'll go…"

The three Beheeyems gathered around to hug their friend.

"Thanks, Nuzleaf…" they said in unison.

The Beheeyems left the school zone, and Nuzleaf sat at the pond for a few more moments, mulling the whole thing over. He hated to part ways with them after all that time, but… what kind of a friend would he be to hold them back? It's not like they were around much anymore anyways...

After some time, the Azumarill who had been staring him down started approaching him. He got up to leave, but the blue rabbit went up and stopped right in front of him, preventing him from exiting the secluded place.

"Erm… hi there? Is there somethin' I can help ya with? I reckon I haven't seen you before…"

She looked angrily into his eyes. "Really? You don't remember me? _Really?!"_

He looked puzzled. "No, I don't reckon I do…"

"Or how about my daughter? My little five-year-old Azurill? _Remember her?!_ "

He thought for a moment and then fell into a cringe.

 _Air continent. Baram Town. Parents and their kids playing at the park one moment. Quiet statues the next._

"L-look," he said as he snapped out of his trance. "I'm awful sorry about all that. Truly I am. I... wasn't fully in control of myself, and-"

"You turned my CHILD into STONE!"

She was furious. And he couldn't blame her. Though he wished she'd calm down and let him explain. She was getting a little scary.

"I'm sorry…" he was starting to tear up. "I never wanted to hurt your kiddo, or you. You gotta believe me. If there's anything I can do to make it up to y'all…"

Azumarill stepped closer and slapped him across the face.

" _You stay away from my daughter!_ "

He didn't look back at her. He just fixed his gaze on the ground, with warm tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I don't know why these other villagers were so quick to take you in and trust you! You're disgusting! You and the other three! Disgusting, all of you!"

She turned away and stomped back into town, leaving him there stunned, crying and weighed down in guilt.

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"Mawile!" a voice sounded through the building. "Can you report to my office, please?"

The steel fairy put down her papers and shuffled through the mess of books on the floor to get out of the room.

"Yes, chief?"

She walked up to his desk.

"I have a mission for you."

"Can any of the others do it? I'm sort of busy in my studies today."

"I'm afraid the others have all left for other missions, so I'm really going to need you for this."

"OK. Shoot."

"I was contacted by Kecleon from Serene Village. The poor fellow was in a panic because he is nearly out of merchandise, and his delivery man had some sort of emergency and can't get there until next week. I want you to go visit him at Serene Village and see what items he needs, and then scavenge some dungeons for the said items."

She raised an eyebrow. "...Seriously? _That's_ the big emergency mission?"

"I know it's not ideal, and I do apologize for the inconvenience. But it would really help me out. I've already been called for a different mission elsewhere."

"All right, Chief. I'll do it. But you owe me one."

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After spending about an hour clearing easy dungeons, Mawile arrived in Serene Village. She made her way to Kecleon's shop. He looked like he was having a serious breakdown.

She also noticed a familiar leaf head over there, trying to calm him down.

"L-listen Kecleon, I really don't mind goin' through some dungeons and getting some loot for ya. I can really help you…"

"Oh, it's no use! I'm ruined!"

The gecko was sweating profusely.

Mawile got to the counter and tried her hand at calming him down.

"Excuse me sir, I've just been sent from the Expedition Society to help you. I'm about to head out now, but I need to know what items you need."

He was still freaking out.

"It's no use! If just one person goes out, that'll take ages! The festival is _today_! My reputation is doomed!"

"Well… what if I go with her?" Nuzleaf asked. "We can both go. I mean, if you're OK with that, ma'am…?"

Nuzleaf looked at Mawile nervously.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, why not? We'll both go. How does that sound, Kecleon?"

He started to breathe a little easier.

"Well… I suppose if there are two of you… that should be fine…"

"Awesome! So what can we get for you?"

He handed her a list.

"Sweet. We'll be back in a couple hours at most."

They started to head out, when Mawile paused and turned back around.

"Hey… do you mind if we run to the cafe real quick? I want to grab some water before we take off."

"Not at all. I reckon now's the time to do that."

They went inside and Mawile got her glass of water. Nuzleaf's heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw a familiar face enter the building.

The hostile Azumarill went up to the counter and started filling out the signup sheet. The festival was happening later that day, but they were still welcoming last-minute volunteers.

Kangaskhan smiled at her. "Hello. You're interested in volunteering for the festival?"

"Yes, I would love to help out."

Azumarill smiled before turning her head and glaring at Nuzleaf, raising her voice so that he could hear her. "Considering that this party is for the heroes and villagers, and not for the _scum of the earth_."

"Hey! What's your problem, lady?!" Mawile shouted at her.

"Was I talking to you?!" she screamed back.

"Oh my…" Kangaskhan muttered. She quietly made a note by Azumarill's name: _Has quite the temper… be aware._

"Look. Just don't worry 'bout it, OK?" Nuzleaf said. "Let's just get outta here."

He and Mawile exited the cafe and headed out to their first dungeon.

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The two had been scavenging the Poliwrath River dungeon for about a half hour, filling their large bags with various items. They were making good time and expected to be finished sooner than planned.

They had been making friendly small talk the whole while, and nothing really felt awkward, much to Nuzleaf's surprise.

"Well, it looks like we just need a couple more apples, and then we'll be good," Mawile said.

"This really wasn't all that bad," he said cheerfully.

"Were you expecting it to be bad?"

"Well, no… it's just…"

She turned her head to him. "Yes?"

"I reckon it's jus'... surprisin', is all. I thought y'all hated me after… everything…"

"Well I can't speak for the others, but me? I don't hate you. I mean, hey, if _I_ was being controlled and forced to do terrible things, I would hate it if people treated me like a criminal afterwards. So why would I treat someone else like that?"

That certainly came as a shock. Did all of the Expedition Society feel that way? Or was it just her?

"...Well, I do mighty appreciate you sayin' that. It's refreshing, honestly…"

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The festival was up and ready to go. Kangaskhan had just made the announcement and gave honorable mentions to Harley and Todd. Various stands with food and games were set up around the square, and Todd was entertaining everyone with his stories.

Nuzleaf and Mawile came rushing back and dropped off their large bags of items to Kecleon.

"Oh my! I'm saved! Thank you so, so much! You're beautiful people, both of you!"

"It was no problem…"

They were both catching their breath.

"I hope you both enjoy the festival!" he said cheerfully.

They left the shop and walked towards the village's exit, as to not be standing in the way of anything.

"I actually think I'll stick around a little bit for this," Mawile said. "I mean, why not, right?"

"You're certainly welcome to."

"You'll be coming too, right?"

"Eh… I don't think so. I reckon I'll just head home and catch some Z's."

"Oh, come on. You're not avoiding it because you feel guilty, are you?"

He kept looking at the ground.

"You shouldn't feel bad," she continued. "There are no hard feelings. Forget what that nasty Azumarill said. This gig is all about celebrating our world being saved. And that includes _you_ being saved."

He let out a sigh of surrender.

"All right, I reckon I can stay for a lil' bit at least…"

Mawile gave him a friendly smile. "Good. Come on, let's go check it out."

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Nuzleaf had just been browsing around at the festival, not interested in doing anything or talking to anyone. Mawile had gotten sidetracked by some young kids who are big Expedition Society fans, so he was alone until he finally bumped into Harley.

"Oh, hi Nuzleaf," she greeted.

"Hello to you," he replied with a smile. "Are ya havin' fun?"

"Yeah, it's been good. Todd and I have just been telling stories about our different adventures. And by that, of course I mean Todd's been telling the stories and acting everything out, while I keep my distance for safety reasons…"

"Hehe… that's understandable, I reckon."

"So are you one of the volunteers for this?"

"Not this time. I wanted to help 'em out, but I had a lot of work out in ol' Carracosta's fields this week."

"Gotcha. Well that's OK! Maybe we can-"

She was interrupted by her partner running up and dragging her away by force.

"Come on, Harley! We've gotta tell them about the time we fought the Regis!"

"O-okay…"

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After Harley was taken away from his presence, Nuzleaf snuck away and went home. He tried, but he just couldn't stand being at an event like that after… everything.

 _It's my fault… it's my fault…_

 _I don't even deserve to be here..._

And it certainly didn't help when Azumarill had caught sight of him from a distance shortly later, and would not stop giving him the death glare if her life depended on it. It seemed like she wouldn't even blink. That lady was scary.

Her daughter was standing next to her. He couldn't bear to even look at her. It was too much.

He just gazed out the window for about an hour. That's all he ever did whenever he was lost in thought. The sun was starting to set.

After a long while, his thoughts were interrupted.

"Oh, there you are."

The leaf man turned away from the window to find Harley slowly stepping into the house.

"I was wondering where you went. Are you feeling OK?

"Yeah, I'm fine, kiddo. I'm jus' not much of a party kinda guy."

"I understand. I just hope you didn't leave because you… felt bad or anything, about… well, you know…"

"Just forget about it, OK? Don't worry 'bout me."

He looked down for a moment before turning back to the window.

Harley sighed, feeling shut out yet again. She took a moment to quietly work up the courage to ask the next question.

"Nuzleaf… why don't you ever talk to me?"

"Pardon?"

She was silent for a few seconds as he turned back around to face her.

"I wish you would talk to me. I mean, after everything we've been through, I just feel like…"

"Hey. I said drop it. You've got ears, don'tcha? I ain't in the mood for chit-chat right now. You should go back to your party. It's all for you and your pal anyways…"

"I just want to help you!"

"For the LAST time, _stop_!"

She never heard him yell like this before. It threw her into speechlessness.

"I was doin' just fine and I didn't ask ya to come in and pester me! Ya just couldn't let me have my peace and quiet, 'cause you're a pest!"

Harley started crying. "I… I don't know what I did…"

She turned back and started running out of the house.

Nuzleaf let out a heavy sigh. "You didn't do nothin'..." he muttered under his breath.

"Harley!" he cried out after her.

She was too far away by that point. He started running after her from a distance, all the way up the large hill and to the big tree.

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Quiet sobs could be heard as he approached the edge of the cliff. He slowly and hesitantly walked up and took a seat next to the sad Chikorita.

"I'm sorry kiddo. I... didn't mean to bark at ya…"

She just kept looking out at the distance. The village party could be seen from up there. They started setting off fireworks.

"I reckon it's just been a rough week on me," he continued. "All the folks here bein' all jazzed about the anniversary of the world being saved… and knowin' I was one of the reasons for the crisis in the first place…"

She finally turned her head to him, still laying on the ground. "But it wasn't you, though. It was Dark Matter. It took control of you."

"Yes, but… it wasn't really that simple."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… sure, what I became wasn't who I am, but… it was more of an influence over time, not just somethin' that took control of me all of a sudden. I still made the choice to follow it at the start. It's sorta hard to explain…"

She finally sat up. "Nuzleaf… who were you?"

"What's that now?"

"I've really wanted to know for a long time… you were one of only five Pokemon in the world who Dark Matter was able to get ahold of. So, how did it get to you?"

"It's a long story, kiddo… we'd be here all night."

"Well…" she looked back at the festival in the distance. "I'm not much of a party person either, so I'll be here all night anyways."

Nuzleaf took a deep breath and had sorrow in his eyes. After a lengthy moment of silence he finally spoke.

"All right… I'll tell ya."

A slight breeze flew by and rustled the trees. He turned around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. His backstory wasn't exactly something he enjoyed talking about.

"It all started back in my hometown on the Grass Continent… with me and my three best friends…"


	3. Nuzleaf's Past

A/N: just wanna mention that I'm not going with the typical fan theory that Nuzleaf was part of Shiftry's rescue team from back in the day. Wanted to try something different.

Also in all my headcanons, Nuzleaf is like late 20's when the actual game's storyline happens.

* * *

 _Three years ago..._

Viola Town was a hidden gem on the eastern part of the Grass Continent. The residents were always outdoors, enjoying the perfect weather and catching up on the latest happenings with their neighbors. It was a small enough town that nearly everyone knew each other, though there was a good amount of tourism all throughout the year.

One of Viola's biggest appeals was its town square with all of the local shops. And one of the most popular shops was a fresh vegetable stand, run by a Nuzleaf and his three friends.

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"Guys! Can I get a hand?"

Heracross was calling out to his two co-workers, who were playing catch in the square with some kids. Not that he was surprised; getting distracted and slacking off was typical for them. He was struggling to reach up the tall stack of crates that were just dropped off by their delivery Machoke.

"You're working too hard again, Heracross!" Breloom teasingly called back. "It's a slow day!"

"Guys, seriously, we've gotta get this done."

"Oh, calm down, Mr. Serious. We'll be there in a sec."

Breloom and Zangoose tossed the ball back to the kids and headed back to the stand.

The trio started unloading the produce onto the table, pricing everything and putting the rest into the ice chests.

"Where's Nuzleaf today, anyway?" Zangoose asked.

"If I had to guess, he either overslept or got lost in a dungeon again," Heracross said nonchalantly, as if those things happened often.

Just then, they saw their leaf-head pal racing over their way.

"H-hey y'all," *pant*.

"Slacker!" Breloom teased.

"Hehe, sorry. Slept in a lil' too long, and then had to go check on Papaw."

"All I'm hearing is excuses…" Heracross crossed his arms. "But we got every crate unloaded and it's all ready to go."

"Hot diggity! Y'all are the best!"

He was finally catching his breath. "Why don't y'all take a break? I'll cover the stand for a bit."

"Pshh, as if those two haven't been on break for half the day already…" Heracross squinted at his coworkers.

Zangoose and Breloom just smiled and shrugged.

"Well, you got everything done, yeah? Go on. Have some fun for a bit, all of ya."

"Thanks Nuz!" Breloom called out as the trio ran back out to the square. Customers started lining up at the stand.

The last one in line was a Blissey, carrying a large notepad and a pen. Nuzleaf had never seen her before.

"Hello young man!" she greeted with a friendly smile when she got to the front. "Are you the owner of this vegetable business?"

"Sure am! What can I getcha?"

"I'm actually going around and doing short interviews with all of the local businesses in the square. I'm a reporter from Noe Town and heard about this neat little town, and I wanted to learn more about it! Do you have a minute?"

"Sure!" he smiled back.

"Perfect! So, I guess for my first question: do you run this stand by yourself?"

"Me an' my three best friends," he pointed to the trio out in the square. "They're mighty helpful here. I couldn't do this without 'em!"

"This stand is quite popular here, isn't it? And those three enjoy working here?"

"Yeah, we like to have fun with it. We've all been best buds since we were kids, and so naturally they were happy to jump onboard."

"I see. They sound like good friends! So, where do you get your produce from? And did you start this business yourself?"

"It was actually my grandparents' business before. We grow all the produce on Papaw's farm. I always helped him out when I was a kid and he taught me everythin' he knew. And so after he retired, he passed the business onto me!"

"Well, you seem to be doing a great job! People love you guys here. Keep up the wonderful work, sir, and thank you for your time!"

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"W-whoa… wh-AHHHH!"

The cat ferret wobbled spastically and fell off the long slackline, going face first into the ground.

"HA! I'm sorry but that was hilarious!" Breloom was dying of laughter. "You're not a very good dancer, Zangoose. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Heh, I reckon you could give him some lessons then, right Breloom?" Nuzleaf teased.

"Oh hush, you."

"Yeah, yeah… it's just _SO_ hilarious," Zangoose retorted as he picked himself up off the ground. "I'd like to see you guys do better."

"All right, let me at it," Heracross said with full confidence. He stepped onto the slackline and started slowly making his way across. He started getting more wobbly in the middle. Eventually his foot slipped.

"NOPE!" he yelled out as he spread his wings and flew up, as to avoid faceplanting like his friend.

"CHEATER!" the other three called out after him. He just laughed and kept flying.

"Well Breloom, are ya gonna outshine Zangoose on this thing or what?" Nuzleaf asked.

"Nah, I don't feel like making a fool of myself today. I just like watching you guys do that."

" _Cowwwaaard…_ " Zangoose whispered.

"You're a loud whisperer, I hope you know that."

"All right y'all, I'm goin' for it," Nuzleaf said as he stepped on. But not even five steps in, he fell sideways and was caught by his beetle friend before hitting the ground.

"So, conclusion: we all suck at this," Heracross said as he set the leaf man down.

"Guess that means it's quitting time," Zangoose said.

The sun was setting and the town was shining in orange and gold.

"I reckon it's 'bout time we all get home anyhow. I've gotta go check on Papaw again."

"How's he doing?" Heracross asked.

"...Not too good," Nuzleaf said as he looked down, suddenly switching to serious mode. "I try not to think about it when I go 'bout my days, but… he really ain't doin' so good lately."

"I'm sorry, Nuzleaf," the blue beetle replied. "Do you want me to go visit with you? I haven't seen him in a little while."

"Nah, he don't care for extra company too much these days, besides me. Thanks a bunch for the offer, though."

"Well, let us know if you need anything!" Breloom called out as she and Zangoose headed off.

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Nuzleaf quietly knocked before entering his grandfather's house.

"Papaw? You awake?"

He stepped into the bedroom and the old Shiftry's eyes lit up like they always did upon seeing him.

"Ah, there's my boy! How was the ol' job today?"

"The usual, nothin' too exciting… although I did get interviewed briefly, so I reckon that was interestin'."

Nuzleaf took a seat at his grandfather's bedside. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Ohhhh I ain't gonna lie, I've seen better days, lad…"

He stretched out, clearly hurting as he did so.

"Can I getcha anything?"

Nuzleaf was trying to stay optimistic like always, but it was becoming harder with each day.

 _He's old, but he ain't THAT old. He ain't gonna die. He won't! It was just a rough day for 'im. Tomorrow'll be better…_

Shiftry smiled at him. "Do ya remember the time you and I harvested all those cabbages when you were a boy? And we brought 'em home in those big ol' baskets and tripped over each other's feet, and them cabbages went flyin' all over the house... and boy, did your Mamaw have a fit… hehe."

The old man chuckled at the memory.

"Y-yes, Papaw… I remember."

He had told that same story earlier that morning, but just couldn't remember.

Shiftry was quiet for a moment before looking at his grandson again and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Son... I know you're worried, but you don't need to be. When your Mamaw died, you saw how it broke me. But it was her time to go, and I reckon I'm reachin' my time too."

"D-don't say that!" Tears filled his eyes. "I'll bring ya some more sitrus berries, and all the best vegetables we can grow, and… and…"

"Nuzleaf…" Shiftry cut in. "You know that chest over there?" He pointed at a huge wooden chest on the other side of the room. "Once I go, that'll be all yours. All my life savings. You can be happy about that at least, I reckon. Right?"

"Papaw I don't wanna talk about that right now. I just want ya to get better…"

He started sobbing at this point, and the old Shiftry pulled him in close.

" _You'll be just fine without me…_ "

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"And he keeps telling the same stories every day?" Heracross asked, whilst setting various goods onto the table.

"Yeah… it's like he can't remember anythin' within a couple hours anymore."

The beetle stopped working and sat down by his friend.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through. But if there's anything you need from me, I insist that you let me know."

He smiled all cheery again. "Thanks, pal. I reckon I'll be fine today though. It was rough yesterday, but Papaw was doin' heaps better this morning. He was even walking a bit and making breakfast."

"Is that so? Well, that certainly sounds hopeful."

They looked out to the square and saw their friends heading their way.

"Hi Nuzleaf!" Breloom called out as she and Zangoose came up to the stand. She placed a small cake in front of Nuzleaf.

"We just thought this might cheer you up, with everything that's been happening with your grandpa," she said cheerfully.

"Aw shucks, y'all… you didn't have to do that…"

"Nonsense! We miss our happy Nuzleaf. Plus, I made it myself!"

"Lies," Zangoose cut in. "We bought it at the cafe just now."

"Come on, man!" she turned to the cat ferret. "You can just never let me have my moments, can you?"

Nuzleaf giggled. "Thanks, y'all. Both of ya. It means a lot."

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Nuzleaf turned the key in the door of his grandfather's house. He was holding a basket of vegetables.

"Papaw? I brought some leftovers from today. I reckoned you could-"

The leaf man shrieked when he saw the old Shiftry lying face-down on the living room floor. He dropped the basket and the food went everywhere.

" _PAPAW!_ "

He ran over and tried to gently shake him awake. There was nothing.

"D-don't worry, I'm gonna go get help right now!"

In a panic, he ran across the street to the clinic and dragged Chansey over.

The nurse leaned down and listened for breathing. Nuzleaf was nearly hyperventilating.

After a few moments, she finally stood up to face him.

"I'm sorry, Nuzleaf… he's gone…"

He wailed at the top of his lungs and collapsed to the ground, before fainting.

Heracross happened to hear his friend's freakout when he was passing by the house. He went in and helped Chansey carry him over to the clinic.

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The groggy Pokemon finally opened his eyes and found his three friends standing in front of him.

"Hey, Nuz… are you OK?" Breloom asked.

"I'll… I'll be fine. Where's Papaw...?"

"The doctors are taking care of him. The burial is tomorrow." Zangoose said.

Nuzleaf started tearing up.

"I… I just don't understand. He was doin' just fine this morning…"

"It was just his time to go," Heracross said. "He lived a good life."

He rubbed his eyes. "I know… it's just been hard to accept, ya know?"

"Yes, we know. But you'll get through it, and we'll help. Once you're out of here, we can go out and do anything you want, OK?"

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A few weeks had passed. Nuzleaf left the stand to his friends for a break and headed into Kangaskhan's cafe.

"Well hey there, Nuzleaf! What can I do for you today?"

"I could just really use some water, if you'd be so kind…"

He looked a bit pale in the face.

"Not a problem, sweetie," she said as she handed him a glass of water. "Are you feeling OK? You don't seem like yourself lately..."

"I'm fine. I reckon it's just been a rough month."

"Well all right… why don't you just take a seat and rest for a while? And if you need anything, I'm happy to help."

"Thanks, ma'am," he said as he went and sat at a table next to a window.

It was a pretty busy time at the cafe. That meant the stand was probably getting slammed too. Nuzleaf just gazed out the window for a while, drinking the water and trying not to worry about work.

All of a sudden, his breathing got heavier and tears started spilling down his face. He didn't know why he was crying and he tried to keep it quiet, but he couldn't help but just bawl loudly, attracting the attention of the entire cafe.

Kangaskhan and a couple others rushed over to him.

"Nuzleaf, sweetie, what's the matter?" the large kangaroo asked.

"I… don't… know…"

He tried to compose himself but was having no success.

"Did something happen?"

"This... just came outta nowhere," he said, barely comprehensible. "I just started feelin' sad, and… I don't know…"

It was sort of scaring him a little, how he literally could not control his sobs. He had been sad and cried many times throughout life, but this felt like something entirely different.

"Is there anything I can do?" Kangaskhan asked.

"N-no, thanks, I reckon I should just go…"

He quickly made his way out of the cafe and ran back to his house. The crying eventually stopped after he got home, though he did catch the attention of the other Pokemon he passed on the way.

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Heracross was up early setting up the stand, when his two slowpoke friends eventually arrived. Only about an hour late.

"Hey, have you seen Nuzleaf?" Zangoose asked as they approached the stand. "He left work yesterday to take a break, and then never came back."

"I heard he had some kind of emotional episode at the cafe yesterday, and then disappeared," Breloom added. "Everyone's talking about it."

"No, I'm afraid I haven't seen him. I was off yesterday. Have either of you tried searching?"

"He wasn't at home or at his grandpa's house. We just checked both places," Breloom said.

"Hmm. Strange. Why don't you two watch the stand for a bit? I'll go look around for him."

Heracross browsed through the small forests around the town and wound up at the beach. There he found his friend, crying by the shoreline.

"Nuzleaf? What's wrong?"

He knelt down beside him.

"I… I don't know," Nuzleaf sobbed. "I just… feel sad, and I can't… stop…"

He proceeded to place his face in his hands and kept bawling.

Heracross put a hand on his shoulder. "You're probably still mourning, Nuzleaf. You're sad about losing your grandfather."

He sniffled and uncovered his face. "Maybe, but… I reckon it's more than that. I didn't randomly break down all the time like this when Mamaw died…"

"Well, you were closer to your grandfather. And he was the only family you had left. Maybe that's why it feels heavier this time."

"I reckon it's possible, but… this still feels different, like I'm bein' _forced_ to feel this way, and-"

Heracross gave him a side hug.

"Don't worry. It'll take time to heal from this loss, but I'm here for you. You have friends on your side."

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A couple days had passed since his last episode. He figured that was a good sign at least.

It was getting close to sunset. He wasn't selling much that day. Sunset was when he always went to visit Papaw… and oh, how he wished he could still do that…

The leaf man decided to pack up the shop early. He wanted to go visit the house. Just to see it again…

He took a walk through the woods, lost in thought, until arriving at the doorstep.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard noise coming from inside. It sounded like someone was in there.

 _Papaw never gave a key to anyone but me..._

He quickly dug through his bag and pulled the key out, and rushed in.

It was...

 _Zangoose and Breloom?_

They were in front of the large chest, packing the money into their bags.

"W-what do y'all think you're doing?!"

They both turned and glared at him.

"Nuzleaf… aren't you supposed to be working right now?" Zangoose asked.

He ignored the question and started approaching them. Breloom tossed her bags to Zangoose as he ran towards the door.

"Well, it appears our secret's out," she sneered. "What a shame."

Nuzleaf wanted to strangle them both, but felt too paralyzed in that moment to make any kind of movement.

 _Is this really happening? It can't be… it just can't…_

 _Zangoose… Breloom… my best friends in the world… how could they?!_

Before he knew it, Breloom started throwing mach punches at him, slowly backing him up to a wall. He was ducking and dodging them all, until finally being nailed in the chest.

"You're not a very good dancer, Nuzleaf."

He was wheezing in pain from that strike, trying to speak.

"W-why," *cough* "why are y'all doing this?"

Breloom laughed. "Oh, you poor, naive little man. Did you _really_ think we wanted to spend the rest of our lives working at a vegetable stand?"

"We were friends!" he yelled. "You said you wanted this!"

"Friends? Really? With _you?_ Come on!"

She kicked him in the stomach in order to keep him down.

"You were always just the dumb farmer kid with the rich grandfather. You're worth nothing more. But now that we've got what we need, we're leaving this pitiful town."

She headed for the door, and Nuzleaf managed to stand himself up and ran after her. Zangoose stopped in front of him, shoving him to the ground and kicking him back to the wall.

"Be good now, farmer boy," he said threateningly before they were both gone.

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 _The next day..._

"...They did _what?_ "

Heracross looked astonished.

"Everything. They attacked me and took all of Papaw's life savings. I… I tried to stop 'em, but..."

The leaf man was trying to hold back the sobs but not succeeding in the slightest.

"I'm... just as in shock as you, Nuzleaf. Goodness gracious... I really need to process this for a second..."

"Our two best friends…" he continued. "It's all so sudden. There's no way either of us could've seen this coming."

"They never liked us…" Nuzleaf muttered through the sobs.

"Listen, Nuzleaf… you've been my best friend since we were five. You're like a brother to me. Just know that I'm always here for you, no matter what. OK?"

Nuzleaf brushed the tears away and hugged his friend.

"Tell you what," Heracross began, "why don't you let me do all the setup at the stand this morning? And I'll handle the whole morning shift myself. And you can go take a walk, get some breakfast, or do whatever you need to in order to get your mind off of this. And maybe tonight, you and I can go skip rocks at the beach like old times. Sound good?"

He nodded. "Thanks a heap, brother…"

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Long walks through the woods were always nice… except for when one felt drained. Nuzleaf took a turn back into town and wound up in the cafe, approaching the counter.

"Good evening, Nuzleaf. What can I do for you?" Kangaskhan asked with a friendly smile.

"Can I just get a cup of coffee?"

"Sure thing. I'll have that right out."

"Thanks."

She went to pour some coffee into a mug and handed it to him.

"How are you doing, Nuzleaf?" she asked. This was the first time she'd seen him since his first episode.

"'M fine."

With that, he set some cash on the counter and she let him go. It was clear by his tone that he wasn't feeling very talkative.

He went and sat at a window table. The same one as last time. All the others were taken.

He started drinking the coffee, but it was a little too cold for his liking. Normally he wouldn't mind much, but tonight, for whatever reason, it disgusted him.

He just sat there and zoned out for several long moments. Thinking about… nothing, really. But he felt some sort of weight on him. It was frustrating. It was… all kinds of things. Indescribable, really.

After some time, he got up and started walking towards the exit, when Kangaskhan stopped him.

"Nuzleaf, sweetie? I'm sorry to bother you, but I was counting the money you left for the coffee, and you're actually about 5 Poke short…"

Nuzleaf left out a heavy, angry sigh and flipped.

"You'll get the rest of the money, once ya _learn how to make your dagnabbin' coffee right!_ " he screamed before storming out of the cafe.

The whole place was silent for a long moment after watching the outburst.

" _Dang…_ " one of the customers finally blurted out from behind. "That guy's _obnoxious_. You should refuse to serve him if he ever comes back…"

"No. He's a good boy," Kangaskhan said sternly. "He must be going through something really terrible…"

After running around and jumping from tree to tree for who knows how long, Nuzleaf finally stopped on a branch and caught his breath. He was horrified by what he just did.

 _Where… did that come from? Why did I get so mad? It's like… like I lost control of myself for a second…_

 _First the crying… and now THIS?_

He wanted to go back and apologize profusely to Kangaskhan, but he couldn't bear the thought of ever showing his face there again after what just happened. He also worried he would end up having yet another episode. They were becoming _way_ too unpredictable.

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The dawn was breaking and all was quiet. Silence never sounded so loud to Nuzleaf. It kept him up all night.

It seemed like these days, the only things he ever felt were sadness and anger. He couldn't remember the last time he felt anything different. It was such a weird thing for him. And it was only growing with time.

Giving up on finding rest any time soon, he left the house and took a walk through the square. It would be hours before the rest of the town woke up.

As he got closer to his stand, he heard some quiet rustling from behind the table.

He moved closer and saw Heracross suddenly stand up. He was packing their cash box into his bags.

"Oh. Good morning, Nuzleaf. You're up early."

He just stared at the box in his friend's hand for a long moment, knowing exactly what was going on. He took a deep breath and tried to temporarily withhold the whirlwind of rage and heartbreak that was happening within.

"You too?" he muttered.

"Nuzleaf, look…" he put the box in his bag and walked closer. "I know what you're thinking, but I just had a family emergency. I need the cash."

"DON'T. LIE TO ME!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Nuz, let's just calm down… we don't want to wake the town up…"

"You're goin' to meet _them_! Y'all planned this together, didn'tcha?!"

Heracross sighed. And within a short moment, he looked back up at Nuzleaf with a sudden... sinister glare and sadistic smile. A kind of look he never dreamed he'd see from that man.

"You know… I think Breloom was wrong about you. You're a smart fellow. Sure, you were a pain most of the time, but _stupid_? No."

"YOU. PLAYED. ME."

"What can I say, my friend? You made it far too easy. You never even noticed the small amounts of money we kept stealing from the box over time. The thing is, we just don't want to stall this thing out anymore. The old man is gone, and since _I_ was just _so_ devastated, being that he was like a father to me too, _you_ decided to generously give your inheritance to me. And any time you try to tell anyone that it was stolen from you, well, that's just you having another one of your emotional episodes, and it makes you delusional. I already gave a fair warning to the town about that. And so now that we're clear on all of this, I'll be taking my leave."

Heracross sent a pin missile attack flying towards Nuzleaf, knocking him down hard. He started walking away with his bags.

"G-get back here, you traitor!"

He stopped for a moment and slightly turned his head back.

"...You know something? It's a real shame… had you not kept me around all this time, the old man just might've lived a bit longer…"

He resumed walking.

Nuzleaf's eyes widened.

"What… did you just say?"

Heracross kept moving, calling back to him. "Don't even try to attack me from behind, Nuzleaf. We both know who would win that fight."

 _You… you killed Papaw! YOU!_

Nuzleaf stood up and furiously threw his fists in the air, screaming.

As he was bringing his hands back down, a ball of smoke suddenly flew out of them and hit the blue beetle. And in that quick moment, his former friend became motionless.

A stone statue.

 _..._

His eyes didn't deceive him. Heracross was literally a rock now.

"W-WHA-WHAT JUST HAPPENED? WHAT DID I JUST DO?!"

With widened eyes, a racing heart and everything shaking, Nuzleaf fell backwards and was stunned, just staring at the statue from a distance.

 _What did I do? WHAT DID I DO?! I… I... I'm a monster..._

He looked down at his hands. Nothing seemed different about them. _So how in the world…?_

"Well, well..." a voice sounded from behind him. "You can do that too, huh?"

Slowly and hesitantly, he turned around and found three brown, alien-looking creatures floating behind him. The first one came forward and spoke again.

"You realize what that means, don't you?"

"Wh-who's on the what now?! Y'all saw what just happened, right? That ain't normal! I… I don't know what's happening!"

Tears started rolling down his face. He was shaking in fear.

The creature spoke again. "It means you're one of the chosen ones."

"The… _chosen ones_? Chosen for what?"

The second one came forward. "Dry your eyes and come with us. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

A/N: sorry this chapter was so long, holy crap

Also I had no idea what Nuzleaf would do for a living, so this is what I came up with


	4. Sheer Cold

The early morning sunlight awoke the leaf man. He looked over to the young Chikorita in the other room, still sleeping like a baby. He figured she'd be out for a while, considering they didn't get back to the house until after midnight the night before.

He couldn't get the image of her heartbroken face out of his head… the look she had after he told his story. He never saw that child cry so hard. He had to spend nearly an hour trying to comfort her…

Reassuring her that he's OK. That it doesn't hurt anymore.

Lying through his teeth.

It was still hard to believe that some kid would care so much to know his past, and would react in such a… genuine, caring way. His former friends never showed any emotion whenever he was going through hard times. This kid was... different.

Of course he had trust issues for a while after all those betrayals, but… after the Dark Matter fiasco, he knew what it was like to be on the other side of that. He felt that he had no right to judge or complain about anyone else after what he did.

Obviously he understood now why he was having all those episodes back in the day; how Dark Matter had to get him to a negative enough state emotionally in order to really get its grasp on him. But even so, a lot of the sadness never seemed to have gone away. Both because of the pain he received, and the pain he caused afterwards.

Despite everything though, he was slowly getting better. He wasn't nearly as broken as he was a year ago, though it was still a work in progress.

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It was mid-afternoon and Nuzleaf decided to leave the child to sleep as far into the day as she needed to.

He walked into the square and saw the last of the post-festival cleanup going on. He noticed Lombre by the cafe, very visibly struggling to lift a large crate. He made his way over there.

"Hey there, Lombre. Can I give ya a hand with that?"

His eyes widened very obviously.

"Oh… h-hey Nuzleaf… no, it's fine. I've got it."

He kept trying to lift the crate with no luck, until he finally called out to Ursaring to come help him. They both ignored the leaf man's presence as they took the crate into the cafe.

Nuzleaf walked to the middle of the square, where Raticate and Magby were picking up the remaining trash that was scattered everywhere.

"Hey, fellas. Do ya need any help?"

They both turned their heads for a quick second and then looked away.

"No thanks, we're good."

They gathered the rest of the trash as quickly as they possibly could and then practically sprinted into the cafe. Nuzleaf let out a deep sigh and started walking back home. His leaf was hanging low.

His two friends were watching from a distance.

"Sheesh. Would it _kill_ them to have a little decency?" Carracosta huffed.

"It breaks my heart to see them act that way…" Roselia said. "I really wish they'd give him a chance. He's such a sweet man."

"Come on," Carracosta motioned her to follow him. "We should go over and give him some company."

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It was a cool spring morning. The sun had just risen and the village was starting to wake up.

Todd and Harley were sitting out at the dock, when they were approached by an old friend.

"Hi, you two!"

"Vulpix, hey!"

They turned around and went to greet her.

"What brings you here?" Todd asked.

"I just wanted a change of scenery for a little bit. I had no idea you two would be here, but that makes it even better! Are you going on any adventures today?"

"Not that I know of," Harley said.

"Well… about that…" Todd scratched his head nervously. "I was just about to tell you… the Chief called me last night with a task. I'm supposed to go on a mission at Red Point today with Buizel, and Pops is coming too. He just wanted water types to go, since that dungeon's all fire Pokemon and all..."

"Oh, so _now_ you're doing missions without me? I see how it is…"

"Hey, it's the Chief's orders!"

"So you're gonna be gone all day?"

"Yeah. I probably won't come back to the village until tomorrow or the next day. Sorry… I wasn't sure what your plan was, but I need to go do this."

"Well, maybe Harley and I can hang out today then!" Vulpix chimed.

"Yeah! Who needs _this_ kid?"

She winked at Todd.

"Yeah, yeah. You two have fun then. I should head out."

"Well," Harley turned to Vulpix. "There aren't a whole lot of exciting things to do in the village, unfortunately. We usually just kick back and relax when we come here."

"That sounds fine. Where should we go?"

"Our favorite spot is up on this hill by a big tree. Come on, I'll show you."

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The warm spring weather filled the town that afternoon. The villagers were going about their business like normal. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until…

"Hey, Hawlucha?" Lombre turned to the large bird luchador. "Does it suddenly feel chilly to you?"

"Hy-krah! It does feel a bit colder."

"Strange…"

The temperature kept dropping by the minute, as cold gusts of wind blew their way. The villagers started shivering, and some retreated to their homes.

Nuzleaf was entering the square and started to shiver himself. Just then, they all looked up and noticed a silhouette in the sky. It was getting closer.

"What in the world is that?!" came one voice.

"It looks like some sort of bird Pokemon!" came another.

As the figure got closer, it revealed itself to be an angry Articuno.

"What's Articuno doing all the way out here?!"

"So! You think it's funny to go around and invade territories, do you?" Articuno huffed, hovering just above the ground.

"What are you talking about?"

Harley and Vulpix entered the square just then, wondering what the commotion was.

"My brother Moltres was just attacked and beaten down in his own home at Red Point, by three ignorant brats who said they are from this continent!"

"Red Point… that must've been Todd and the others," Harley whispered.

"I've been ill and tired, and I'm in no mood for games!" Articuno continued. "You all need to learn what it feels like to be invaded and attacked!"

He proceeded to shoot ice beams all over the square. Most of the villagers ran for their lives. Others stayed and tried to fight.

"Look fella… this really ain't necessary…" Nuzleaf pleaded. This only pissed off the ice bird more and he shot ice beam once again. The leaf man barely jumped out of the way.

"Nuzleaf!" Harley called out.

He pulled himself up and looked her direction.

"Kids, you might oughta get outta here!"

"We're not going anywhere! Come on, Vulpix, let's _melt_ this ice jerk!"

Vulpix launched flamethrower and Harley used ancient power. Articuno took a good amount of damage, and was now at his highest level of rage. He used hurricane.

They all went flying and crashed. Harley pulled herself up and used ancient power once more.

Vulpix used fire blast!

Nuzleaf used feint attack!

Harley started charging towards Articuno to use tackle.

Articuno used _sheer_ _cold_!

The attack hit the feminine leaf head spot-on. She was stuck in place, frozen solid.

" _HARLEY!"_ Nuzleaf shrieked.

He sprinted over to her and frivolously tried to break her out of the ice, all while shielding her from additional attacks. Vulpix was running over to help, but kept getting blasted by ice beams.

Nuzleaf had his arms wrapped around the frozen Chikorita, tears coming down and whispering things as if she could hear him.

"I'm sorry, kiddo… I'm so sorry… I shoulda protected you…"

Articuno sent ice beams his way, crashing all around him. He refused to budge.

Finally, he sent a vicious powder snow attack and struck Nuzleaf right in the back. He screamed from the pain and nearly froze to death himself, but he still clung to the frozen child and refused to let go.

Articuno levitated a little higher, looking somewhat satisfied.

"I believe I've made my point. Now _stay out of our homes_!"

He flew off, and the village slowly started to warm up again.

Vulpix was using a gentle ember attack to thaw Harley out. The ice slowly melted, but the young Chikorita was completely unconscious and barely breathing.

Nuzleaf picked her up with the small amount of strength he had left.

"Um… Nuzleaf, sir… are you gonna be okay?" Vulpix asked.

"I'll be fine…" he managed. "I need to get her home… I need to-"

He collapsed to the ground with the child.

"OK… how about this…" Vulpix lifted Harley up on her back. "I'll carry her, and you just try to make it home without dying…"

Lombre had been a witness to the whole thing, and went to inform Audino of Harley's condition. The doctor hastily made her way to Nuzleaf's house, arriving around the same time they did.

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While Audino was treating Harley, Vulpix and Nuzleaf took the logs that were stacked by the wall and placed them near Nuzleaf's bed and Vulpix lit a fire.

The leaf man kept looking over at the child. She looked so pale… he had never been more scared for someone in his life.

Audino didn't appear to be too concerned, which was a little bit relieving for the moment. After giving her several kinds of medicine, she wrapped her up in a thick blanket like a burrito and placed her in Nuzleaf's arms. This took him by surprise.

"You're her guardian, right?" she asked with a smile.

"I uh… I reckon so, in a way..."

"She'll be fine, but she needs to keep warm overnight. I'll need you to hold her and sit by the fire while you both sleep tonight. That way she'll be getting the body heat too. Do you think you can do that?"

"Sure. I'll do anythin' to make sure she'll be all right…"

"Wonderful! It's getting late, so I'll be seeing my way out. I left some aspear berries for both of you next to your bed. If you need anything else, you know where to find me!"

The doctor and fire fox left the house, and Nuzleaf sat down on his bed with the child, holding her near the fire.

He wasn't used to really, physically taking care of someone like this. It was a weird feeling. He hoped that he didn't screw up. He worried that he might. This child's life was literally in his hands.

The leaf man was absolutely drained and kept nodding off, but always caught himself. He was afraid of falling asleep until he knew Harley was 100% OK again.

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Hours had passed into the night. The tiny Chikorita started squirming a little and let out a small groan, shivering. He held her closer, gently rubbing the back of her head where she wasn't wrapped up in the blanket.

"Hang in there, kiddo…" he whispered.

Though she was still asleep, she let out another soft whimper. The shivering slowly ceased. And as he held her close, he heard her mumble a word in her quiet, sleeping voice.

"Daddy…"

He flinched in shock.

 _Did… did she just call me…?_

It was clear that the child had fallen back into a deep sleep and she was still again. He kept holding her tightly, mulling the whole thing over.

He tried so hard to stay awake, but completely passed out after a few hours.


	5. Tears and Roses

A/N: I've tried to withhold most of the fluff up to this point (that last part doesn't count), so it's probably gonna all come out in this chapter. So. Yeah. Enjoy.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Nuzleaf finally woke up.

 _Ahh consarn it! How long was I out for?_

He looked down at the child in his lap, who appeared to have just woken up too.

"Hey there, sleepyhead… glad you're finally awake. How do ya feel?"

Harley rubbed her eyes and appeared to be very out of it. She looked up at the leaf man.

"Is… is Articuno gone? And is everyone OK?"

"Everyone's all right, child. No need to worry. Articuno's gone."

She started shivering a little.

"Still feelin' cold?"

"Yeah… it kind of comes and goes."

Nuzleaf stood up and gently placed her next to the slowly dying fire.

"You sit by this here fire and let me getcha somethin' to eat."

He placed the bowl of aspear berries next to her and grabbed some apples as well.

"I'm gonna go fetch Audino to come and check on ya. Will you be OK while I'm gone?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks."

As the small leaf head was slowly waking up and remembering things, she started to cringe in embarrassment when she recalled… a certain thing she might've said when she was half-awake for that brief moment the night before...

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 _A couple days later..._

"So, you remember some things, but not everything, even though you were unconscious?"

Vulpix tilted her head in mild confusion.

"Yeah… I think I sort of woke up for brief moments throughout the night, but was still mostly asleep and never opened my eyes or anything. And so… I'm pretty sure it was during one of those moments when I called Nuzleaf my dad… and now I feel all weird."

"Has he said anything?"

"Nope, nothing. He's still acting the same as usual. I mean, he was giving me a lot of extra attention, but I assumed that was because of my condition."

"Hmm. I dunno, Harley… you seemed to be completely out cold that night. Maybe you calling him that happened in a dream?"

"I guess that's possible. I don't know. I just hope I didn't make him feel weird or anything…"

"Do you see him as your dad?"

"Well… I mean, yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

The two kept talking as they walked to the square. There they saw Nuzleaf entering from the other side, heading for the cafe.

They noticed an angry looking Azumarill glaring at him and then walking off. The other villagers kept their distance like they always did, appearing to suddenly need to be somewhere and taking off whenever he walked near them.

"I can't _believe_ they're still acting like that, after all this time..." Harley muttered angrily.

"Why are they being like that? What did he ever do?" Vulpix asked.

The frustrated Chikorita sighed heavily. "It's a long story, my friend. I'll just say that he made some mistakes in the past and it wasn't his fault. The villagers claim to have forgiven him, but clearly they don't act like it. He's constantly trying to make up for everything, but nothing's ever enough for them."

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Harley approached Roselia's doorsteps with a large basket of flowers.

"Excuse me? Ms. Roselia?"

She looked up from her stack of papers and went over to greet her.

"Hello, Harley. What do you have there?"

"It's the first basket of the day from one of your gardens. I was helping out a little. Nuzleaf and Budew said they were running behind today, so they asked me to bring this over to you while they gather the rest."

"Oh dear," Roselia laughed softly. "They aren't running behind at all. I wouldn't expect them to finish it all in one day… such overachievers, those two. Well, thank you very much for this, honey."

She took the basket and placed it in the other room. She came back and looked at the small Chikorita with a bit of concern.

"Are you feeling all right? You look sad."

"He's working so hard…" she mumbled.

"Come again, dear? Here, why don't you come inside and sit down?"

She went in and flopped down on a pillow.

"I just feel bad for Nuzleaf…" she said with a sigh. "Especially after he told me about his past the other day. I won't share any of it because I know that would hurt him, but… I just hate the way the other villagers avoid him like a disease. He doesn't deserve that."

"No, he certainly doesn't. I agree with you 100%, sweetie."

"Well, I at least appreciate how you and Mr. Carracosta aren't like that… and a few others like Ms. Audino and Kangaskhan. You all trust him completely. I don't know why the others can't be like that."

"I always knew he had a good heart," Roselia said, smiling as she sat down next to her. "I didn't really know him before all of the turning-to-stone incidents, but when he came back to the village after the world was saved... and came knocking on my door with tears in his eyes as he apologized like there was no tomorrow… I knew with certainty that he was a good man. And when he came back a couple days later and asked if there was anything he could do to serve me… well, that was even more affirmation."

"All he ever wanted to do in life was serve people…"

She was tearing up.

Roselia noticed her waterworks and gave her a gentle hug.

"And he's _very_ good at it. Listen, hon… I know he's been through some really bad things, things he didn't deserve. And you know more than I do about that, but… none of us can change the past. But we have now. We have today. And _you_ , young lady… I know for certain that you are helping him heal."

She looked up at the rose lady with big eyes.

"R-really?"

"Really. I see the way he lights up whenever you come visit. You're such a ray of sunshine to everyone around you. Especially him."

"I just… wanted to get to know him."

"And that means the world to him. He doesn't get that very often."

Roselia stood up and walked back to the counter, starting to shuffle through the pile of papers.

"Well hon, I've got to send these numbers in by the end of the day. You're welcome to hang out here or take off, your choice. Just…" she exhaled deeply. "Just know that while you can mourn with him, you don't have to stay sad. Just keep being yourself. That's more than enough."

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After talking with Roselia for a while, Harley headed back to Nuzleaf's house. He had just gotten home and was washing the garden dirt off his hands.

"Hey kiddo… can we talk for a sec?"

"Sure. What's up?"

He was quiet at first, working up the courage to ask a certain question.

"...Do you remember what you… said in your sleep the other night?"

"Oh…"

Her face turned a little red.

"You mean... when I called you Dad?"

"Yeah…"

He paused for a second, trying to find the words to say.

"I just wanna say... I was real touched by that, but… I… I just ain't worthy of that title."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, child… I'll always be your pal, but I ain't worthy to be your father… after all I did to ya…"

"Nuzleaf, that was over a year ago and that wasn't you! You can't let the past hold you back like that. And you know I forgave you a long time ago."

She always imagined that she'd be apologizing profusely for calling him such a name out of the blue, if this conversation ever came up. But instead she found herself fighting for it.

"I know… but you deserve better. Heck, even the other day, I failed to protect ya, and-"

"Not your fault! Don't you _dare_ blame yourself for that!"

Tears started running down her face as she continued.

"And I don't care that we met under horrible circumstances or about any of the mistakes you made in the past! It doesn't matter to me because you're one of the best people I know. You brought Todd back when he disappeared, you're always so good to me and to everyone, and you saved my life and I love you!"

He was caught off guard by that last part.

"I… I love ya too, child. Truthfully I have for a long time. I just…"

"You _are_ worthy."

"I can't be a dad…"

"Yes you can!"

Nuzleaf was borderline sobbing at this point, trying ever so hard to keep it together.

"Tell me how…"

Harley walked up and hugged him.

"You've already been doing it. You take care of me and look after me, you always encourage me to do my best, and you're open and honest with me. What more could I ask for? I wouldn't be who I am if it wasn't for you..."

She kept hugging him relentlessly as he cried.

"OK, child. OK."

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A week had passed since Articuno's big invasion. Todd and Carracosta were still in Lively Town, being counseled along with Buizel by the rest of Expedition Society after what happened. Naturally, Carracosta didn't take too kindly to being on the other side of the lectures, but it was definitely a humbling experience.

Harley and Vulpix were out on a rescue mission. Nuzleaf was at home, organizing his newly gathered firewood when he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Nuzleaf… do you have a minute?" Lombre asked.

"Uh… yeah, sure…"

The leaf man nervously let him in.

Lombre looked sad. That was a sight Nuzleaf had never seen before, and he became worried.

"That was really brave, what you did for Harley the other day."

"Ya mean with Articuno?"

"Yeah. Shielding her in the midst of that attack. The others ran in fear, but you stayed. And that was… really cool."

"Thanks, I reckon…"

Lombre was silent for another moment, sweating in guilt.

"Listen… I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I've avoided you for the past year, and for judging you so harshly. That was… incredibly unfair for me to do that to you."

"It's… it's OK."

"No. It's not OK."

"I understand why y'all were distant. After all I did to the lot of ya, I can't blame-"

"Nuzleaf, we treated you like garbage and that's _worse_ than what you did, because this was _our_ choice. Nothing was forcing us to do it. But that all ends now. So, if you ever want some company or anything… well, you know where to find me."

It was as if a giant weight was literally lifted off of the leaf man in that moment.

"Thanks a heap, Lombre. I appreciate it."

"Also thought you should know… a bunch of us had a long chat with that Azumarill. She won't be bothering you anymore."

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"Are you sure you don't need me to stay longer?" Vulpix asked. "I seriously don't mind. I can really help you if you get chills again."

"I'm not getting chills anymore, so I'll be fine. I really appreciate it though. Thanks for everything!"

"You're welcome. I'll see you around then."

"Safe travels!"

Harley waved goodbye to her friend and then made her way to Nuzleaf's house.

"Heya, kiddo!"

"Hey, Da- oh, Budew's here?"

"Hi, Harley!" she chimed.

"Yeah, Roselia's got a work meetin' or somethin' of the sort tonight, so I'm watching this lil' one."

"It's a conference where Mama meets with other garden owners with businesses like hers from other continents!" Budew added.

"Gotcha. Well aren't you just a lifesaver?" she winked at Nuzleaf.

"Harley, look!" Budew came up to her and held out a picture. "I drew you and Todd, with the rest of the Expedition Society! I don't know what the others look like besides Mawile, so I just left them as blobs…"

Harley giggled. "That's OK. This is really good, Budew! You've got talent!"

"Thanks! Maybe one day I'll join them like you did!"

"I'm sure they would love to have an artist among them!"

The small bud got all excited and bounced around.

"Hey, you younguns," Nuzleaf interrupted. "Dinner's ready."

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"Over here is where we met Latias and Latios…"

Harley pointed to the Grass Continent on the large map laying on the floor, with Budew gazing in awe.

"And over here," she pointed at the Mist Continent, "is where we met Mewtwo. He wasn't too happy to see us at the beginning, but he came around."

"That's so cool!" Budew chimed. "I hope someday I can go on adventures like you and Todd…"

"Someday you will!" Harley smiled at her and nodded her head. "If that's a dream you have, keep pressing into it. And once you start school, they'll teach you all about the mystery dungeons and how to get through them."

"Do you think I can evolve someday too?"

"Definitely, if you want to. I can take you to Xerneas to make that happen. But not until you're older, though. Ha..."

"Hehe. Hey, Mr. Nuzleaf? Where are you from?"

He paused washing the dishes and turned around.

"What's that?"

"She wants to know where your hometown is on this map," Harley said.

"Ah. Well, lessee…"

He laid on the ground next to them and scanned the map.

"I reckon it's… right around here," he pointed to the east side of the Grass Continent. "Viola Town's right up in that area. It's a small town though, so it doesn't show up on expedition maps too much."

"Ohhh. Viola Town… it sounds nice."

"Heh… yeah, it had its charms. But I reckon it'll always be a thing of the past for me. I like this here village better anyhow."

"Really? Why's that?"

"It's peaceful here. And... I'm mighty fond of some of the folks here. Like you two younguns."

Harley smiled and hugged him from behind, pinning him to the ground. Budew thought it looked like fun and joined in, hugging him from the other side. It sort of turned into a low-key wrestling match and they were all laughing loudly. Nuzleaf was not winning that match.

"Hehe… all right, y'all… it's gettin' hard to breathe…"

They gathered themselves and released the leaf man from their hug trap.

Harley was still sort of in disbelief, how within just one week, they were able to grow into a real parent-child relationship so naturally. Of course she'd always be an independent kid, but now she knew that this man really did love her; that he wasn't just welcoming her home out of some moral obligation.

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The girls were starting to doze off in Harley's bed when they heard a soft knock on the door.

"Hello, Nuzleaf," came Roselia's gentle voice.

She stepped into the house and Nuzleaf went up to greet her.

"'Evenin', Roselia. How did the meetin' go?"

"Oh, nothing too exciting. We mostly just gave updates. Although, I was encouraged by several of the others to start another garden due to the growing popularity of my produce. I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon, though."

"Well if ya ever decide to, I'm at your service!"

"You're too sweet…"

She looked over at her tiny child rubbing her eyes.

"Come on, Budew. Time to get home."

The tiny bud Pokemon made her way over to her mother. Roselia walked closer to Nuzleaf.

"Thank you very much for watching her tonight. You have no idea how much that helped me."

"Anytime," he said with a smile. "Always happy to help."

"Good night. I'll see you soon."

She took a step closer and slowly kissed his cheek before proceeding out the door.

Nuzleaf's face turned red, eyes widened and heart started racing as he watched her leave. Harley snickered.

"So… what was _that_ all about?"

He looked over at his kid, unable to get rid of the blush on his face. She was grinning and winking at him.

"I… uh…"

"Do you like her?"

"Well, I… uh…"

His face was getting hotter by the second.

"Aww! You like her!"

She hopped up and down excitedly.

"I think that's so great!" she went on. "She's such a sweet lady and you'll be perfect together!"

"Hehe… all right, kiddo…" he knelt down and patted her head. "How 'bout we just get some sleep? It's pretty late, I reckon."

" _Okaaayyy_ …"

She curled up into her bed and looked over at him on the other side, starting to do the same.

"I love you, Dad…"

She may or may not have been giving him a hint of the baby doll eyes.

He stood back up and walked over to her bed.

"I love ya too, kid. You'll always be my main girl, no matter what."

* * *

A/N: yes I ship the two plant parents. And they're adorable ok

(also don't say I didn't warn you about the fluff)

This fic was partly inspired by serene-nuzleaf on Tumblr. You should check that page out if you love the Leaf Dad.

Willing to take requests for future fics, though I definitely can't guarantee that I'll write any more. This one wasn't even supposed to happen, and I was kind of all over the place during the process. So if anything seemed unorganized or lazy, well, sorry ^^

Disclaimer; I don't own Pokemon, PSMD, etc etc etc


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